The right to privacy in Islam

[greenshirt]

asalaamu alaikum

a friend of mine who is a non muslim got in a little debate with me about islam. he told me that there is no privacy in islam.

i have been told the exact opposite throughout my time studying. in fact, i have always strongly believed that islam has valued privacy more then any other religion. i am sure that what one does in their own home is not anyone elses business. i have thought this was a core islamic belief.

i told the guy i would e-mail him with some articles speaking about the rights to privacy in islam. if anyone knows of any great articles, in arabic or in english(the man is an arabic speaker) please let me know, so i can e-mail him with a few links.

wa salaam

[Abu Abdallah al-Bulghari]

Hadith about poking the eye of the peeping person comes to mind.

Certainly there is privacy in Islam.

[greenshirt]

Hadith about poking the eye of the peeping person comes to mind.

Certainly there is privacy in Islam.

na'am, yes that is exactly what i mentioned to my friend!

but then he objected by telling me a hadeeth where it is ok for a man to peek and look at the woman he is about to marry. i did not respond because i do not know the reasoning, and feared i would say something wrong. i always fear saying something wrong about my religion. so, i told him i would look into that insha allah

[M.I.A.W.]

Assalamu alaikum,
Brother Greenshirt,

Islam has attached a great deal of importance to privacy, that is why we are very careful about free mixing between the genders, and the Qur'an shows this in many verses, e.g. :

[24:58] “O you who believe! Let your slaves and slave‑girls, and those among you who have not come to the age of puberty ask your permission (before they come to your presence) on three occasions: before Fajr (morning) Salaah (prayer), and while you put off your clothes for the noonday (rest), and after the ‘Isha’ (night) Salaah (prayer). (These) three times are of privacy for you; other than these times there is no sin on you or on them to move about, attending to each other. Thus Allaah makes clear the Ayaat (the Verses of this Qur’aan, showing proofs for the legal aspects of permission for visits) to you. And Allaah is All‑Knowing, All‑Wise.

[24:59] And when the children among you come to puberty, then let them (also) ask for permission, as those senior to them (in age). Thus Allaah makes clear His Ayaat (Commandments and legal obligations) for you. And Allaah is All‑Knowing, All‑Wise”

[al-Noor 24:58-59]

Also:

[24:27] O ye who believe! enter not houses other than your own, until ye have asked permission and saluted those in them: that is best for you, in order that ye may heed (what is seemly).

[28] If ye find none in the house, enter not until permission is given to you: if ye are asked to go back, go back: that makes for greater purity for yourselves: and Allah knows well all that ye do.

[29] It is no fault on your part to enter houses not used for living in, which serve some (other) use for you: and Allah has knowledge of what ye reveal and what ye conceal.

[al-Noor 24:27-29]

Also: the verses about 'covering up' in Surah al-Noor.
Also: the Hadith about separating boys from girls when they reach a certain age.

Also: Hadith 2262 in Bukhari here: http://hadith.al-islam.com/

‏حدثنا ‏ ‏يحيى بن بكير ‏ ‏حدثنا ‏ ‏الليث ‏ ‏عن ‏ ‏عقيل ‏ ‏عن ‏ ‏ابن شهاب ‏ ‏أن ‏ ‏سالما ‏ ‏أخبره أن ‏ ‏عبد الله بن عمر ‏ ‏رضي الله عنهما ‏ ‏أخبره ‏
‏أن رسول الله ‏ ‏صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ ‏قال ‏ ‏المسلم أخو المسلم لا يظلمه ولا ‏ ‏يسلمه ‏ ‏ومن كان في حاجة أخيه كان الله في حاجته ومن فرج عن مسلم ‏ ‏كربة ‏ ‏فرج الله عنه ‏ ‏كربة ‏ ‏من ‏ ‏كربات ‏ ‏يوم القيامة ومن ستر مسلما ستره الله يوم القيامة
Also: Go to http://islamqa.com/en and type the word privacy
Also: Go to http://hadith.al-islam.com/ and type the word ستر

Wallahu a'alam

Wassalam
MIAW

[Mu'awiya]

asalaam alaikum


that hadith isn't sufficient to say that islam is against privacy. all it hints at is that if the guy potentially wants to get married - he can look from a distance, for example if she walks a few steps out of her house.


tell him, if islam was so against privacy - then why do we need 4 witnesses for crimes such as zina? and why is the punishment so severe - for the accusers - if there are 3 witnesses in this case only? is it really normal for 4 people to watch something like this? or do people who commit zina want to remain in private, hidden from people?

hence it shows how islam values privacy, and how it does not want evil to become widespread in society. that's why many people did sins in their homes in Medina during the time of the Prophet, and the 4 khulafah. But their sins were not shown in public - so they were not punished.


Allahu a'lam

[M.I.A.W.]

asalaam alaikum


that hadith isn't sufficient to say that islam is against privacy. all it hints at is that if the guy potentially wants to get married - he can look from a distance, for example if she walks a few steps out of her house...


Please note: Brother Mu'awiya is referring to the Hadith mentioned by brother Abu Abdullah Al-Bulghari, and not my post above.

MIAW

[greenshirt]

asalaamu alaikum

thank you everyone for the responses. is it correct for me to tell the guy "what happens behind closed doors is none of my business, and it is between you and allah(swt)?" or is it my business if someone drink alcohol behind closed doors?

he told me that muslims want every sinner killed. i told him that he was not correct, but rather we only want sinners punished if they commit their actions in public, because then it could influence others. whereas if they did it in private, it is still a grave sin, but not for us(people) to punish but rather allah(swt) in the hereafter. i said that this does not mean drinking is permissable when one is in privacy.. in fact, they will be held accountable for it on yawm al qiyammah. but, if they do it in privacy without telling anyone, we can not make assumptions and have them punished, because it was within their own homes. is that a correct statement for me to make, or am i a little off track?

wa salaam

[abu hafs]

Salamualiakum,
Theres this story ( can't find it online nor do i know a reference, but pretty famous)
about Umar Ibn al Khattab, during his reign, In one his walks at night with a companion ,he hears some singing in a house and peeps in , he finds a girl dancing and a man drinking wine sitting in front of her, Umar goes in to the house reprimands the man for his sins, but the man in turn question the authority of Umar to peep in on him and Umar admits his mistake and keeps shut about this to his companion, because it was not his to look in to anyone's house.
Later , Umar meets the man at the masjid and tells him that he has not told about his sins to any one and the man responds that he has not gone back to it since them ....Hope I make sense

[greenshirt]

Salamualiakum,
Theres this story ( can't find it online nor do i know a reference, but pretty famous)
about Umar Ibn al Khattab, during his reign, In one his walks at night with a companion ,he hears some singing in a house and peeps in , he finds a girl dancing and a man drinking wine sitting in front of her, Umar goes in to the house reprimands the man for his sins, but the man in turn question the authority of Umar to peep in on him and Umar admits his mistake and keeps shut about this to his companion, because it was not his to look in to anyone's house.
Later , Umar meets the man at the masjid and tells him that he has not told about his sins to any one and the man responds that he has not gone back to it since them ....Hope I make sense

asalaamu alaikum

na'am, i read this story yesterday from an article from a islamic professor in new york. only, the guy did not cite his source, so i am not sure how authentic it is. if anyone knows where this hadith is, please tell me!

[Adeeb]

na'am, yes that is exactly what i mentioned to my friend!

but then he objected by telling me a hadeeth where it is ok for a man to peek and look at the woman he is about to marry. i did not respond because i do not know the reasoning, and feared i would say something wrong. i always fear saying something wrong about my religion. so, i told him i would look into that insha allah

That is for the purpose of marriage only, not whenever you feel like it. The man has a right to see the female to see if there is an attraction. Physical attraction is naturally is usually a prerequisite for love.

[kamals]

Wa Salam
The narration on Umar is very authentic and found in a few sources.

Your non-Muslim friend is blowing smoke out his ears.

This is sort of elementary knowledge of our Din, speaking of the "right" to privacy is inaccurate, what is more accurate is the duty of the Muslims NOT to pry into the deeds of others.

There are numerous ayats of the Quran and Hadiths telling us in effect to mind our own business and not to concern ourselves with matters that don't concern us.

HE should bring forth something more substantial than the isolated mis-contextualized example he dredged up.

If more is needed then more detail can be gone into..

[Suhaib Jobst]

I would say that Islam gives the right of privacy more than the other religions, certainly more than christianity which attempts to make one guilty and where fundamentalists want to govern private behavior.

Our standard is the Islamic society which had been established by the Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) and his Khulafa ar-Rashidun, or Rightly-Guided successors as rulers of the Muslims. This is also infered from various ahadith, which underscores the importance of privacy and prefers social relations in dealing with others rather than the heavy hand of the authorities.

So unlike the modern state where there are efforts to restrict privacy, such as the controversy in the U.S. on regulating the Internet (which I believe is okay for parents, but NOT the government), the early Muslims accepted that Shari'a was to be instituted to govern public behavior. We can also infer this from many ahadith, which underscores this point, insha'Allah.

Of course the Muslim should always implement Islam in their private lives, but there was never any effort to invade one's privacy and see if they were truly living according to every Islamic law in their homes.

The Muslim is prohibited from publicizing their sins, which should be treated as a personal matter between them and Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala). There are priorities for the remarkable social networks to deal with the offender, such as through persuasion and they are encouraged to reform their own behavior, so there is no invasion of privacy.

This is why the Hadd punishment for such practices as adultery is so stringent to prove (i.e. four witnesses), because it is treated as a very serious matter. The offense must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

If you look at the situation of the Muslim countries, you will see the private police and intelligence agencies, were a modern invention which only arose after the British and French colonial occupations. So there are no historic precedence for such in Islam. Wa Allahu A'lam.